The Ghana Chamber of Mines has called on the government to fix the western railway corridor to support the mining industry’s operations especially the haulage of Bauxite and Manganese.
Despite the deterioration of roads in the Western Region especially between Tarkwa and Takoradi by the activity of haulage trucks, 100% of Bauxite from Awaso and 90% of manganese from Nsuta are still hauled by road to the Takoradi Port.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney, during a courtesy call on the Western Regional Minister called for the western railways to be revamped due to the high cost and negative impact of road haulage on the mining sector.
“One key aspect of infrastructure which is dear to the heart of our industry [mining] is the Railways, especially the Western Railway line. We know that there are various plans and some work has been done but we are not home and dry yet.”
“We see even as we go on the Takoradi-Tarkwa road that the sheer weight of Bulk mineral is actually affecting the durability of the road and we want to plead that let’s expedite action on the Western rail-line.”
“It is so critical and so important and it is not just for the bulk minerals, but it is practical for every company which would decide to bring an input from offshore and output from the Western Region.”
“It is truly giving Bauxite and Manganese companies huge cost for road haulage even-though the ideal means of transportation for them would have been railways.”
“A revamped railway sector would serve so many people and therefore it is important that we expedite action on rehabilitating the Western Rail-line. This has been on the drawing board for so many years”, he said.
The Western Regional Minister in a response re-emphasized the governments commitment to revamping railways.
“I want to assure you that as far as I sit here, we have gotten funding to fix it, and the Regional Coordinating Council has also worked on the right of way acquisition which I led myself, and therefore I know that the project is something that is in the pipeline.”
The Chamber of Mines Chief Executive later interacting with journalists in the Western Region expressed the need for government to have a deliberate plan, linkages and integration of the mining sector with other sectors to develop growth poles for the region.